Comments on: Getting Real with IA http://applestooranges.com/blog/post/getting-real-with-ia/ Writing about design, the user experience, web technologies, and the latest happenings on our online world. Sat, 31 Jul 2010 08:53:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: billg http://applestooranges.com/blog/post/getting-real-with-ia/comment-page-1/#comment-110 billg Sun, 21 May 2006 23:55:02 +0000 http://www.applestooranges.com/blog/post/getting-real-with-ia/#comment-110 <p>"...building the interface first is the best way to come to an agreement with your client about what the software will do and features it will contain."</p> <p>Having spent several years at the taxpayers' expense as the government point guy with both the internal client and the contractor building the site, I can second that. People need a frame of reference. Specs don't provide that for them. Looking at the site, even a mockup, does.</p> <p>If you just show them the specs, invariably they'll wander off trying to translate what they've, probably, poorly understood into a visual image of the site. Equally invariably, they'll get it wrong. That means the customer thinks you're building a different site than you actually are building. That way lies unhappiness.</p> <p>Show them the interface, often and early.</p> “…building the interface first is the best way to come to an agreement with your client about what the software will do and features it will contain.”

Having spent several years at the taxpayers’ expense as the government point guy with both the internal client and the contractor building the site, I can second that. People need a frame of reference. Specs don’t provide that for them. Looking at the site, even a mockup, does.

If you just show them the specs, invariably they’ll wander off trying to translate what they’ve, probably, poorly understood into a visual image of the site. Equally invariably, they’ll get it wrong. That means the customer thinks you’re building a different site than you actually are building. That way lies unhappiness.

Show them the interface, often and early.

]]> By: Nemrut http://applestooranges.com/blog/post/getting-real-with-ia/comment-page-1/#comment-109 Nemrut Sun, 21 May 2006 23:54:21 +0000 http://www.applestooranges.com/blog/post/getting-real-with-ia/#comment-109 <p>This can be good way to iterate in small,informal teams but tends to break down for larger projects with multiple stake holders.</p> <p>In the latter, it is often more efficient to seperate the content/funtionality/presentation layers in parallel or sequential paths.</p> <p>Nemrut</p> This can be good way to iterate in small,informal teams but tends to break down for larger projects with multiple stake holders.

In the latter, it is often more efficient to seperate the content/funtionality/presentation layers in parallel or sequential paths.

Nemrut

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